Elements of a Modern Exterior Entry

Wood Slats, Overhangs, Concrete and Plantings Update the Entrance

We all want great curb appeal, whether to make visitors feel welcome or increasing our property value when we are ready to sell. Wonder what it takes to give your so-so exterior a modern touch? Here are some design elements being noticed all across the country.

1. Horizontal slats and gray exteriors. The warm wood coupled with the neutral gray is winning hearts. It doesn't take much to swap out a standard gate for a wood-clad version with horizontal slats and repaint your exterior. A game of hide and reveal is created, especially if there is some spacing between the wood slats. Aren't you dying to know what's behind that gate?

More wood slats, this time used to create a semi-private screen at the front door enclosure. Depending on how you space the slats, they offer a world of design options from private to semi-private screens, dividers, enclosures, and more.

Overhangs create an inviting approach to the front door. Here the bare and imposing plaster wall is humanized by the smaller-scaled wood overhang and warm lighting.

Combining a green door with a green-tinted frosted glass suspended overhang is a small touch that makes a huge impact on how modern this simple entry reads.

Concrete planters. Even traditional homes can incorporate modern touches to the entry as long as it's done right. The poured concrete planters are lush and overflowing and seem just right at the ascent to this traditional family home.

Meeting place. Another innovation in warmer climates is the creation of loungy built-in area at the approach to the front door. It's a modern take on the traditional front porch as a stage for social interaction with the neighborhood. Long benches, plush cushions, and even a fire pit optimize the real estate at the front entry.

For my entire life, I've lived in grand Victorian buildings, the Wardman Towers in Washington D.C., the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond (my father managed them so we lived in them). I can't take it anymore... I'm so tired of architecture that looks old. Don't get me wrong, I'm very nostalgic and sentimental, but I just don't want to feel like I am the curator of a museum. My entire life, every door I looked at was the standard 6-panel classic. I can't take it anymore. When I moved to South Florida, I immediately was exposed to a much more diverse type of architecture than Victorian/Colonial/Federal/Craftsman. I was exposed to Art Deco, Contemporary, Spanish/Mediterranean, Modern, 80s modern, whatever. I'm certainly not saying those other styles don't have major charm, and I'm not saying they aren't beautiful in their own right; however, modern architecture and design feels so much more clean, less cluttered, organized, and actually seems somewhat warm to me.

My home is a mix of Spanish Mediterranean / Modern, if that makes sense... but it works, and I love it.